No matter what kind of phone you use, a lot of us are pretty dependent on Google for organizing our lives. Luckily, you can actually get Gmail, Google Calendar, Google Voice, and other services working great with iOS?it just takes a little bit of setup. Here's what you need to do.
Obviously, if you're really entrenched in Google services, your other option is to just use Android?after all, Android has a lot of features you can't get on iOS. However, iOS has its own specialties, and if you have your heart set on iOS' fantastic interface and app library, there's no reason being a Gmail user should hold you back.
Look familiar? We've posted this before, but a lot has changed: Google discontinued Google Sync, released an official Maps app, and even made their Gmail app usable. With that in mind, here's our updated guide to getting your Google fix on iOS.
Sync Gmail with iOS Mail
When it comes to Gmail, we think Sparrow ($3) is the best way to get your email on iOS. Seriously, buy it now. It has everything that makes Gmail great: support for labels, the ability to archive and delete messages from the inbox, and a fantastic interface designed to work with the iPhone. Gmail's official app is also a pretty good alternative, if you don't like Sparrow's few lacking features (like push notifications).
However, if you absolutely have to have the iOS integration that only Mail can provide, you'll need to do a bit of extra work. Here's how to properly add Gmail as an Mail account in iOS:
Open the Settings app and go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap the Add Account button and choose Gmail from the menu.- Enter your Gmail address under both Email and Username, and type your Gmail password into the Password box. (If you use two-step authentication?which you should?you'll need to use one of Google's application-specific passwords here.) Type in anything you want for Description (I used "Gmail").
Tap the Next button and flip the Mail switch to On if it isn't already. You can also turn Calendars on if you so desire (more on this later)
Now, if you open the Mail app, you should see your Gmail inbox. By default, pressing the Delete button archives a message instead of deletes it. If you want to change that behavior, open iOS' Settings, go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars, open up your Gmail account, and change "Archive Messages" to "Off". Note that in iOS 6, you can also press and hold the delete button to choose either action at any time.
Sync Google Contacts with iOS Contacts
If you want your Gmail contacts available on iOS without having to sync them with your computer, you can set up a CardDAV account on your iPhone that will sync them over the air:
- Open the Settings app and go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap the Add Account button and choose Other from the menu (not Gmail).
- Type
google.comin the Server box. Enter your full Gmail address (user@example.com) in the Username boxes, and enter your Gmail password for Password. (If you use two-step authentication?which you should?you'll need to use one of Google's application-specific passwords here.) Type anything you want for Description. - Click Next. You should see the spinning wheel, and then iOS should successfully create the new account for you.
Now, if you head into the Contacts app, you should see all your Google contacts appear. If you make any changes on the iPhone, the changes will sync back to Gmail on the web, and vice-versa.
Note that if you're using a Google Apps for Business account, you can't currently use CardDAV. You'll have to use the old Google Sync method just for your contacts instead.
Sync Google Calendar with iCal (and Other iOS Apps)
To sync your Calendars, we recommend using the same Gmail method we used for our email above. If you already set up Gmail using this method, skip to step 3 in the following instructions. Otherwise, start with step 1:
- Open the Settings app and go to Mail, Contacts, Calendars. Tap the Add Account button and choose Gmail from the menu.
- Enter your Gmail address under both Email and Username, and type your Gmail password into the Password box. (If you use two-step authentication?which you should?you'll need to use one of Google's application-specific passwords here.) Type in anything you want for Description (I used "Gmail").
- Tap the Next button and flip the Calendars switch to On if it isn't already. Be sure to switch Mail off if you're using Sparrow or the official Gmail app for your mail.
Now, if you head into iCal, you should see your main Google Calendar events. If you want to sync your other calendars, head to your computer and go to this page. From there, you can select which calendars sync down to your iPhone. Check their boxes, click save, and reopen iCal. You should see that all your other events appear.
This method should also work with other calendar apps that get their info from iCal, such as Week Cal (our favorite calendar app for the iPhone).
In short, we recommend having two different accounts set up in your settings: One Gmail account for your Mail and Calendar, and one CardDAV account for your Contacts. We've found that this recipe makes for the most accurate synchronization within each service.
Set Up Google Voice with Messages
The free, official Google Voice app on iOS is pretty great. You can read your text messages and voicemails, star important ones, make calls, and even create a quick dial list of your favorite contacts. However, its notification system isn't very good (since you have to open the app to sync the unread status of messages). GV Mobile+ ($3) is also good, adding the ability to message groups, edit your forwarding numbers, and even send picture messages (sort of). gMessage is also a good app, providing you with a very fast, intuitive interface for getting to your messages. However, both alternative apps require a bit of work to set up notifications.
If you want the best possible Google Voice experience on the iPhone, you'll need to jailbreak and install two tweaks from Cydia: Phone GV Extension ($3) and SMS GV Extension ($3). The Phone extension integrates Google Voice with the iPhone's default dialer, so you can dial out from the Phone app and by clicking phone numbers in other apps. The SMS extension lets you send and receive Google Voice texts from the default Messages app, which means better notifications and the ability to use iMessages with your iPhone-using friends. If you aren't jailbroken, the official Google Voice app is more than good enough, but these jailbreak tweaks are definitely the best way to get Google Voice working on your iPhone.
For more info on all of these apps and tweaks, check out our guide to improving your Google Voice experience on the iPhone.
Bring an Integrated Google Maps Back to iOS
Apple's Maps app leaves a lot to be desired, and thankfully Google's come to the rescue by releasing their own official Maps app with turn-by-turn navigation and more. Just grab it from the App Store to reap the benefits.
Its biggest downside, however, is that it doesn't integrate with iOS nearly as well as Apple Maps. Luckily, you have a few solutions. Jailbreakers can install the MapsOpener tweak to automatically open address links in Google Maps, and all iOS users can integrate Google Maps with Siri using a clever Address Book trick. It isn't perfect, but at least you'll be able to get directions without being horribly misled.
Everything Else
These aren't the only Google services that deserve a spot on your iPhone, but these instructions should get you most of the way there. If you use Chrome on the desktop, then Chrome for iOS is the perfect mobile browser. you can sync all of your bookmarks, search history, and passwords, and it also has many of the features that desktop users have come to love, like Incognito Mode. Google Reader users should check out Reeder, and Google Drive users should (obviously) download the Google Drive app. Google Mobile can also be handy for voice-activated search. Whatever your Google needs, you can probably meet most of them on iOS without too much trouble, and get the best of both Apple and Google together.
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